Via UPI – Ancestor of living ‘fossil fish’ described

An ancestor of coelacanths, “living fossil” fish thought extinct until a live one was caught in 1938 off South Africa, has been identified, paleontologists say.

Unlike living coelacanths, which are slow-moving fish with peculiar broad tails, the extinct ancestor had a tuna-like forked tail and was probably a fast-moving, shark-like predator, Canadian researchers from the University of Alberta report in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.